It's hard to believe the first Just CrossStitch Special Christmas Ornament Issue was published in 1997. Truth be told, I was a fan from the start...way before I started designing professionally. I would pick up my copy at the local needlework shop or newsstand and analyze every single page. There was just something heartwarming about the diverse selection of designers, seeing their personal photos, trying their favorite Christmas recipes and reading about their stories/memories...it was truly a treat. I would spend hours perusing the pages and choosing the Christmas ornaments I wanted to/would stitch.
I honestly can't even explain the joy I felt in 2006, when I was invited to participate in this annual issue for the very first time...it was that feeling of "wow, someone has noticed my designs...I've finally made it!" That's right, 2020 marked the fifteenth year I received an invitation to design an ornament for this special issue. Even with changes over the years and many favorite designers disappearing from the issue (believe me, I've had second thoughts about it for a few years too), I continued to feel blessed to design my ornament each year.
About a month ago, I received my sixteenth invitation for the 2021 issue (yes, designers are invited almost a year in advance). Again, I started weighing the pros and cons of being involved - mainly, because designers are NOT PAID for this issue. You heard me correctly - Just Cross Stitch Magazine does not pay designers to be in their boasted "best selling issue of the year." If you are new to the industry, sure you can get noticed being in this issue and being paid in "exposure" might be worth it; but for hardworking designers that have been around for a number of years and built a brand, giving away work for free, just doesn't seem like the best decision. I started to think about the time involved, the supplies needed, what my art is worth and even the cost of postage to mail the ornament to the publication. Plus it takes away time from working on paid pieces...and I market it for them on social media...is this really the best use of my talents?? This is my full-time job. Then I thought about my fans and the needleworkers who stitch my pieces - will I let them down if I decline?...will they be disappointed? I started questioning why...if this is JCS's best selling issue of the year, why aren't they paying and supporting the designers that make it possible? Why do they pay their staff, but not the artist? Would this be a paying job if the needlework industry was a male dominated profession? I know, a bit over the top...but that really was my thought process. I tend to quietly let things sink in, weigh it all out and make measured decisions. I took a deep breath and formulated my response (and yes, I sent this exact response in reply to the invitation):
Hi [Editorial Assistant],
I apologize for the delay in my response. To be honest, I have gone back and forth, struggling to make a decision on whether or not to be involved with the Christmas Ornament Issue in 2021.
I have shared my talent with this special issue for fifteen years…and even before I was designing full-time, it was my favorite issue and something I looked forward to purchasing. Every year, Just CrossStitch advertises that this is the “best selling issue of the year”, yet the designers that make this issue possible are not being properly compensated. Yes, the exposure is good if you are new to the industry…but for those of us who have built a name and a brand, the exposure is doing little to compensate us. This is my full-time job and something I take extremely seriously. Giving away my work for free and enabling that behavior to continue is something I can’t advocate. I’m sure you don’t ask your staff to work for free. I have expenses, time and creativity involved – not to mention the postage to send my sample to you. Plus, I have always marketed my design in this issue on all forms of social media, something I also do without compensation. Exploiting designers on any level is not something I can support.
I have decided it is in my best interest not to participate in 2021. I truly hope Just CrossStitch will take a look at this policy going forward and start paying designers fair compensation for their work – without designers, there would be no needlework industry.
This was a tough message to write and I truly weighed my options (mostly because I don’t want to let my fans down that count on me being in this special issue). I tried to write this in a kind, yet professional way. I have always been (and I still am) a fan of Just CrossStitch Magazine and I hope we will have a chance to work on future (paid) projects together.
Sincerely,
Belinda
[Signature]
I don't know what I thought would happen - I mean, who am I, really??...and, in all reality, I enabled this poor behavior for years. I didn't expect a big change...but I did think I would get some sort of response that would give me some closure. I did get a short, nice response from the Editorial Assistant:
Hello Belinda,
Thank you for your response to our Christmas ornament design call. As the editorial assistant for Just CrossStitch Magazine, I personally don’t have any control over the details of this publication, but please be assured that I have forwarded your concerns. Your note was very well written. I understand and appreciate you sharing your view.
Kind regards,
[Editorial Assistant]
Thank you for reading this lengthy post...I'll be back soon with positivity and creativity!
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